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Death
"'Tis only fitting that this island would host its own Reaper. It haunts Arisen as though enraged at the half-immortality granted by the wyrm, relentless and intractable as its namesake. Even now, I swear I can hear the whispers..." :'-Barroch's Notes' Death is an Enemy in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Death in the Dragon's Dogma universe shares the same features as the Grim Reaper in popular mythological depictions. Larger than many creatures in the realm, Death is a shadowy, black-robed figure hovering ominously above the ground. Death's hood hides no facial features-- instead, only a gaping black hole looks back at the Arisen. Larger than Death's own body, his deadly Scythe will instantly kill even well-prepared adventurers. The Bone Lantern held on his left side allows him to cast Sleep. Death was once an Arisen. The notice board quests, The Wages of Death I, II, III, and IV, were written by Death. In The Wages of Death IV, he states, "I have cast away the shackles of the Arisen. In form and function, I have embraced my calling... as death." Speculation suggests that Death is the twisted form of Arthacos, an Arisen driven insane by loneliness and the unending labyrinth of Bitterblack Isle. In his insanity, Arthacos came to believe that it was his duty to offer one thousand human sacrifices to appease the Dragon's destructive nature and to save his country from calamity. He continues his vigil to this day. Arthacos' accounts can be found in the form of ten epitaphs scattered through the isle, which when collected are displayed at the Monument of Remembrance. The tone and style of these epithets is similar to The Wages of Death I, II, III, and IV which suggests that Arthacos and Death (who authored the Wages quests) are one and the same. When Death searches in the darkness, the Arisen will sometimes hear the whispering voice that drove Arthacos to madness. __TOC__ Information and Stats Death is classed as a corpse-feeder enemy, and is therefore attracted by the presence of corpses or Rancid Bait Meat. Attacks Further Explanation of Abilities Death has only three abilities: * Teleportation, allowing Death to engage the party at close range. * Death's Lantern, which will inflict Sleep (purple glow) on nearby characters vulnerable to the debilitation. A yellow glow functions as a searchlight, seeking prey. * Death's Scythe, which will instantly slay any party member (the Arisen and Pawns) caught within its swinging arc in a single strike. It will also do substantial damage to Bitterblack Isle enemies - Cursed Dragons, Condemned Gorecyclops, etc. Any such enemy slain by Death will not drop loot nor award experience unless the player had engaged it prior to Death's intervention. While the Arisen may use a Wakestone to revive, Pawns slain by Death will be instantly forfeit, with no chance of revival and will have to be re-hired within a Rift Stone. Mage Pawns wielding Legion's Might are not immune to Death's Scythe. Pawns often comment: "Death cannot be slain in one go." Death has a great deal of health, and is intended to be fought over a number of separate encounters. Death will flee when enough damage has been inflicted. Any damage inflicted on Death will carry over to every subsequent encounter until Death is slain. As the physical manifestation of the cessation of life, Death cannot be permanently slain and will eventually re-appear to resume his hunt for living prey. In some areas, Death will disappear if the party simply exits and re-enters the dungeon. Death will also sometimes leave after slaying pawns or after a Wakestone is used. Locations Upon entering the lower level of the Garden of Ignominy on Bitterblack Isle for the first time, even in New Game Plus since the dungeon resets to a Pre-Daimon state, Death will always appear. For newer players, the most effective defensive strategy against Death is to run. Death will randomly appear throughout the various dungeons of Bitterblack Isle, appearing in areas rife with fresh corpses (with increased frequency in the Post-Daimon phase). When Death appears, it is advisable for lower-level players to flee the area as quickly as possible. Death's spawn rate is close to 100% in The Bloodless Stockade until Daimon is defeated for the first time. If Death does not spawn, an Elder Ogre will spawn instead. Once defeating the Elder Ogre(s), exiting and reentering The Bloodless Stockade will result in Death spawning. Occasionally, Elder Ogres will spawn on consecutive visits to the Bloodless Stockade. However, upon their defeat, Death will reappear. It is also possible for both Death and an Elder Ogre to appear during the same visit to the Bloodless Stockade. Refer to that page for information on farming Death pre-Daimon. Farming Death Death will stalk all of Bitterblack Island indiscriminately once Daimon is defeated for the first time. However, there is still an easy way to spawn Death post-Daimon. Much like the first encounter, Death can appear in the courtyard of the first area, The Garden of Ignominy, provided the stench of death there is high. This can be achieved either by killing enemies, or, more easily, using Rancid Bait Meat. Note that Death will spawn only if Saurians are present in the courtyard. If Goblins are present, Garm will appear instead of Death. The spawned enemies in the Garden of Ignominy can be changed by simply entering and exiting a Rift Stone, or by exiting the main entrance and re-entering. After Death is routed from sustaining too much damage, re-zoning after dropping another bait can cause him to re-spawn immediately. Spawning Death InfinitelyYoutube Video - User: ManufacturedOpinion Intuitively the following steps can be taken: :(1) When in the Garden of Ignominy defeat all enemies Saurian corpses attract Death, while Goblin corpses attract Garm. . :(2) Save the game. :(3) Stab the Arisen by using the Godsbane/return to main menu. :(4) Reload the save. :(5) Upon reloading drop a piece of Rancid Bait Meat. Death will Spawn. :(6) Damage Death as much as possible until he retreats. :(7) Zone the area by leaving and then re-enter.Eventually, enemy corpses will decompose. Enemies must be refreshed and killed again. :(8) Repeat the steps 2-7 above to re-spawn Death again.This procedure can also be used to farm Garm. Tactics Defensive tactics *Upon entering the lower level of the Garden of Ignominy on Bitterblack Isle for the first time (even in New Game Plus, as the dungeon resets to a Pre-Daimon state), Death will appear. For low level players, the most effective defensive strategy against Death is to avoid confronting Death (and the Hobgoblins within) by running directly down the stairs leading to the Duskmoon Tower. Upon re-entering the Garden of Ignominy, Death will be gone. * Death only has two attacks: Sleep (indicated by his lantern turning purple) and the Scythe attack (after searching with the yellow lantern). Come prepared with the highest sleep resistance possible when facing Death, ideally at 100%. Pawns especially will benefit from this. Spells or items that protect against debilitations can also help. This can be achieved by the use of one Sobering Wine, or wearing two Restless Earrings (sold by Madeleine and Delec), or with Mercenary Slogs, a Harpy Cloak, Patterned Gambeson, etc. The application of one Sobering Wine will give the entire party immunity to all debilitations for ninety seconds, which is very useful against Death's Sleep attack. A gold rarefied Leather Circlet provides 100% immunity against sleep. *Death's scythe attack cannot be blocked with any shield or countered with Masterful Kill or Clairvoyance. The Scythe can only be avoided by evading it completely. * Wakestones can resurrect the Arisen, but Death's attack will kill pawns instantly with no option for revival. Pawns will be immediately sent to the Rift and must be rehired. *Death tends to float off the ground and cannot be grappled. This, combined with the range of the Scythe, makes melee attacks more prone to counterattacks from Death. Spellcasters and bow users can safely attack from long range, but should be wary of Death's ability to suddenly teleport behind them. * In areas such as the The Bloodless Stockade, the abundance of water can extinguish the Arisen's lantern. To avoid fighting in total darkness, equip a Ring of Desiccation or use a Sobering Wine or Monk's Periapt . * Death will be strongly attracted to the light of any lantern. To avoid Death's attention make sure no lanterns are lit. * A correctly timed Full Moon Slash will protect the player from Death's Sleep attack. Offensive tactics * Immune to all debilitations. * Weak to high knockdown or stagger, even in Hard Mode. * Death has been confirmed to spawn with differing defenses and elemental resistances, similar to the online Ur-Dragon's different levels of DEF and MDEF from generation to generation. Do not count on Death being weak or resistant to any given element. In some rare instances, its physical defenses can be exceptionally high; in such an encounter buffing your entire team with Holy or Blessed Trance will serve better than a non-elemental attack. * Non-magical vocations should use physical (non-elemental enchanted) weapons against Death. * All vocations : To maximize the party's damage output, consume up to four Tagilus's Miracle potions at a time to approximately double the entire party's physical damage when fighting Death. Also consume up to four Salomet's Secret potions at a time as well to approximately double the magic attack of the entire party if there any any Mages or Sorcerers within the party. Consuming more than four of each type of stat boosting potion at a time is needlessly redundant (stats can only be stacked up to four uses). * Striders: The fastest way for a Strider to inflict a lot of damage to Death is with the Brain Splitter skill and the Eminence augment (be sure to jump first before initiating the Brain Splitter to get the 30% Eminence damage bonus). Three to six Brain Splitters interrupted by Instant Reset (for faster recovery time between jumps) can scare away Death fairly quickly. From afar, use Hailstorm Volley. * Rangers : ** Tenfold Flurry shots to the head cause massive damage. If equipped with Blast Arrows and high enough knockdown/stagger stats, Death can be stun-locked infinitely, slaying Death easily with enough Blast Arrows. Using four Conqueror's Periapts or four Tagilus' Miracles will increase damage output significantly. Using a Gold Dragonforged Revenant Wail (or a GDF Dragon's Glaze if one does not have a Revenant Wail), a 4x strength buff, and Blast Arrows, even a low-strength Ranger Arisen can kill Death quickly. * Warriors: Use jumping Light Attacks with Vehemence, Clout, Ferocity and Eminence augments. Stack four Conqueror's Periapts or Tagilus's Miracles to maximize the damage. * Magick Archers: Ricochet Hunter in close quarters (like the Bloodless Stockade) is extremely effective, potentially stun-locking Death in a barrage of increasingly damaging ricochets. Explosive Bolt or Explosive Volley is also very damaging and provides melee attacks that detonate the rivets with additional stagger and knockdown. Note that when Death teleports, he will free himself of any attached explosive rivets. Magickal Gleam can stun an unaware Death, allowing time to strike or run past him. Use Ricochet Hunter without getting spotted to deal massive damage. Start firing bolts immediately upon entering the area, and as long Death doesn't find the party, it's possible to take out several bars of health, and more when Death falls down. Because Death is not officially engaged in battle, he won't teleport away. Death has a high damage threshold and a powerful bow is required. Four Demon's Periapts or four Salomet's Secrets could be required to attain the damage threshold since Death is highly resistant to magick in general. Use of Ward Arrow will grant the player immunity'' to "all manner of debilitations for a time." (Including Death's "Sleeping Lantern Attack")'' * Mystic Knights: An Arisen can easily use the Reaper's teleport skill against it, providing they have the ability Stone Jungle. With this skill, an Arisen may cast from afar and hold the spell, awaiting Death as he teleports close. Once it does, using this magick will have a high chance to knock the Reaper down, allowing a party to deal massive amounts of damage. If the Mystic Knight is confident Death will spawn exactly in one specific spot, then a trap consisting of Abyssal Anguish and Holy-buffed multiple Great Cannon and Ruinous Sigils can be laid in advance, thus stun-locking and even possibly slaying Death in one encounter. * Mages and Sorcerers: A Holy buffed Focused Bolt can deal high damage to Death, especially when multiplied with four Demon's Periapts or Salomet's Secrets, and even more if it hits Death's Bone Lantern (which is a weak spot). With a powerful enough Staff/Archistaff, Death can be knocked down by this attack. Equip one or two Barbed Nails to increase Stagger/Knockdown effectiveness. * There is a small blindspot just behind Death when he swings his scythe. * In places like the The Bloodless Stockade, lighting a Beacon can cause moderate damage to Death. Lure him close to a Beacon and light it. Mystic Knights can use the Beacons to fire Great Cannons, for more firepower; the Beacons cast Holy Furor when lit. * Death can be defeated by knocking him into a deep enough abyss, achieved by surprising him with Blast Arrows, Magickal Gleam/Magickal Radiance, or Sixfold Bolt/Ninefold Bolt. This is possible when Death appears above the bridge at the entrance to the Fortress of Remembrance upon entering the area for the first time. This will earn the experience point rewards but none of the item drops. Refer to the notes section for more information regarding Death's initial appearance in the Fortress of Remembrance. * Autonomy augment can be useful as pawns are often slain by Death's Scythe. Pawn Bestiary Knowledge *Witness the scythe attack (no victim needed) *Witness Death inflicting Sleep *Witness Death bow and flee (may need to be seen a few times) *Witness Death teleport in front of a character with a lantern equipped *Witness Death teleport in front of a character with no lantern equipped *Kill Death at least once with all 5 previous flags triggered In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for Pawns to participate in killing 3, 6 or more times Death either with their own Arisen or while travelling with others. More information can be found on the Pawn Bestiary Knowledge page. Notes *The teleport flags may need to be seen a few times *It may be needed to equip/unequip the lanterns during the fight for the associated flags to be triggered. *Last flag will only trigger on reaching kill count 3, 6 or more (and NOT on kill count 1, 2, 4 and 5). After kill count 6 (7 and beyond), any kill with all first 5 flags triggered will trigger flag 6. Rewards *Base XP awarded : 420,000 on normal/easy mode, 840,000 on Hard Mode *Bone Lantern *Scythe Shard *Jewel of Summoning *Bitterblack Armor Lv.2 *Bitterblack Armor Lv.3 (rare) *Bitterblack Novelty Lv.3 *Bitterblack Gear Lv.3 *Bitterblack Weapon Lv.3 (rare) Note: Death does not drop Elite Lanterns, which may only be obtained from purifying Bitterblack Novelty Lv.3. Related quests * The Wages of Death IV (slay Death on Bitterblack Isle, acquired from the Arisen's Refuge notice board). Be aware that only three notice board quests may be active at any given time, so it may be necessary to complete one or more active quests in order for The Wages of Death IV quest to appear. Notes The Brine cannot slay Death, making it the only enemy in the game which cannot be dealt with in that fashion. But knocking down Death over an abyss will slay it outright. Death can be instantly slain in the Fortress of Remembrance by being knocked off the bridge into the abyss below. When the dungeon is first visited (Pre-Daimon, even in New Game Plus), Death will make a scripted appearance just off the first bridge. Walking down to the second landing of the crumbled stairway will trigger Death's appearance where it can be killed outright if it is caught with a staggering attack while he hovers over the water. There are two techniques which can slay Death here very quickly : # Firing Blast Arrows to the lantern can easily stun Death and make it fall down to the abyss below, killing it in a single encounter. Equipping two Barbed Nails will increase the player's Stagger and Knockdown capabilites. # A single Magick Archer's Magickal Radiance shot can stagger Death in to falling into the abyss below as well, instantly slaying it. Before firing the shot, be sure to wait for Death's appearance animation to end or else the shot will pass right through Death's body. Slaying Death in Hard Mode while a Weal item (such as a Pilgrim's Charm) is activated will quadruple the experience point reward to yield multiple level gains and large Rift Crystal earnings for the owners of the Hired Pawns. In Hard Mode, Death has considerably more stagger and knockdown resistance. Firing a Maker's Finger will not slay Death, but it will wipe out one full bar of health. Trivia * Death can sometimes be heard saying "Come my child" or "Waver no more" when winding up to swing. * Death can sometimes be heard saying "Sleep..." while preparing its sleep. Bugs * When Death spawns in the Garden of Ignominy (from the Entrance of Bitterblack Isle), if the player walks onto the balcony, Death will try to attack the player but will get stuck on the way (where Snakes (Pre-Daimon) or Leapworms (Post-Daimon) spawn). If players stay away from the Lantern Light and have no light source of their own (such as a Lantern), Death will stay there and do nothing. * * * Gallery References Category:Dark Arisen: Enemies Category:Dark Arisen: Necrophages Category:Dark Arisen: Bosses